April 27, 2010

Jimmy Graham thrilled to be a Saint

> Posted by Joe Rose on April 27, 2010 03:41 PM

Absolutely one of the best stories in college football last year was Jimmy Graham, and what he was able to do in such a short time at the Univeristy of Miami. I mean, geez, he only played one year of college football and he gets drafted by the Super Bowl champion Saints in the third round.

"For me to be picked at No. 95 by the New Orleans Saints means everything to me," Graham said on the show Monday morning. "For me it's a dream come true. I think it's a perfect situation. Being able to learn from a guy like Jeremy Shockey is perfect for me. I'm hungry to learn and I'm hungry to get better."

I couldn't help but ask him if he ever thought about how high he would have went in the draft if he played another year or two of college football. Although he grew up playing the sport, last season was his first since his freshman year of high school.

"That's something that kind of always went through my mind," he said. "Even when I was playing basketball, I wanted to play football. I treid to play football. I was always saying, 'What if?' What if you never went to that school and had to stop playing football? What if you had the chance to go out there and what would happen? But it's been a wonderful year and I'm on Cloud 9 right now. I wouldn't change anything."

Man, with Drew Brees throwing him the ball in that wide-open offense, he should really put up some solid numbers as scouts love his size (6 feet 6, 260 pounds) and athletic ability (38-inch vertical leap).

Graham could follow in the footsteps of Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates and Marcus Pollard, who all were college basketball players before becoming NFL standouts.

April 21, 2010

Jason Taylor Q&A

> Posted by Joe Rose on April 21, 2010 12:39 PM

Former Miami Dolphins great Jason Taylor spoke on the show this morning on his way to the airport to sign with the New York Jets. Here's a transcript:

Q: Is it fair to say you really didn't want this to happen?

A: "No, I didn't. This isn't how we envisioned it. Things change, organizations change and players change. I guess it was time for the Dolphins to get younger and go in a different direction. The Dolphins have some really good, young players. Cam Wake is going to be a really good player in this league. It was a pleasure to come back for a year and help those guys."

Q: How frustarting is it about the way this ended and the lack of commmunication from the Dolphins?

A: "It's all good. I have no ax to grind. I hold no grudges. Sure I would have liked to communicate a little better and get an idea of what they wanted to do, but that wasn't the case. Look, I'm a big boy and I understand it. I can take it. Just tell me and I'll move on."

Q: How strange is it as you board a plane to sign a contract with the New York Jets?

A: "After playing for the Dolphins for 12 years it's a little weird and difficult but I've made it known that I wanted to play again this season. That's why I went ahead and had the [shoulder] surgery. I was excited to go through the offseason and get ready to play. Unfortunately, it didn't happen in Miami. I'm going to embrace those guys with the Jets. Hopefully, they'll embrace me. Anybody that knows me knows I'm committed. I'm going to put my heart and soul into it."

Q: Were there any offers from the Dolphins or any other teams this offseason?

A: "No. There were no other offers. There was zero offers from the Miami Dolphins.this offseason."

Q: Have you spoken with Tony Sparano in the last few days since he canceled the meeting?

A: "No. He texted me that he wanted to cancel the meeting. That was about it. There wasn't a whole lot more said after that."

Q: Do you think Bill Parcells is behind the whole thing?

A: "I don't know. Bill does run the show over there. If Bill has a problem with me, that's fine. Again, I'm a big guy. I'm not going to sit here and be bitter. . . .And I understand the fans are going to be bitter about me going to New York. I would just ask fans to put themselves in my shoes and ask what they would do. Zach [Thomas] made a great analogy [Tuesday] about you're dating a girl and she wants to get married and you say, 'Yeah, I want to marry you but give me a few weeks to go out and date as many other people as I can and if I find somebody a little younger and better looking ... If I can't, then I'll come back and I'll go ahead and marry you.' "

Q: What did you think of Zach Thomas ripping Jeff Ireland and the Dolphins for the way they handled your situation?

A: "Yeah, I love him to death. He's passionate and always has been. When someone like that goes to bat for you and believes in what you're doing, it makes your decision a little easier. It was a little uneasy for us to make this move. My wife and I really debated it. But at the end of the day when you're looking for work, you need to get on a team. We needed to make a move, and we did."

Q: Do you have any regrets not accepting Bill Parcells' contract offer back in November?

A: "There's no regrets. It wasn't the right time. We were in 2009 in the middle of a playoff push and I was offered a deal then on the 2009 salary cap. Any person that does any business or negotiating will realize that 2010 is going to be an uncapped year and the money will be different. I was offered the same money I signed for last year. It's like Dwyane Wade last year when the Heat had to make that formal offer for him to sign. Everyone in the world knew it wasn't right for him to sign it then. It's the same kind of situation. Obviously a lot different numbers, but it wasn't the right time. My thing is I don't regret it because if I was good enogh to offer a contract to me then, then why not now? What has changed? I'm actually better now because I'm a lot healthier."

April 15, 2010

Vonnie Holiday: 'Brandon Marshall is no prima donna'

> Posted by Joe Rose on April 15, 2010 04:01 PM

Vonnie Holliday, who played for the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos, told me on the show Wednesday morning that Brandon Marshall is misunderstood and that he should have no problems living up to the hype surrounding him.

"Man, that is a tremendous pickup for the Dolphins and their fans," Holliday said. "You hear all the things about him . . . . He's a guy that can take over a game. And when you stand next to him, he's as big as I am. Man, is he big (6-4, 230). And he has great hands. He's a great receiver and he can run. I saw him take over a game at Indianapolis last year, where he had an NFL-record 21 catches."

Holliday also said Marshall has come a long way as a player and a person.

"He certainly had his share of problems in Denver, but I think he's grown a lot over the past year. I think he's motivated to become a better teammate, a better player and a better person. So he's matured. There's no doubt the change is going to be good for him.

"As a teammate, I spoke to him a lot last year. He's not a prima donna. He's a hard worker. The Dolphins definitely win in this trade. He works hard. I've seen him in practice. He has a lot of pride. He wants to be remembered as one of the premiere receivers in the league."

Brian Billick downplays Brandon Marshall's baggage

> Posted by Joe Rose on April 15, 2010 02:18 PM

Brian Billick, an NFL analyst on Fox who won a Super Bowl as coach of the Baltimore Ravens, said on the show that the Dolphins and Broncos will both benefit from the blockbuster Brandon Marshall trade.

"It's a great deal for both teams," Billick said. "Miami picks up one of the true impact players in this league. They gave him big money and he's going to be happy, so I think, he'll be very productive. And Denver rids a player that was going to be dysfunctional for them, and picked up some decent value."

Billick also downplayed Marshall's off-field issues.

"First off, this game is about talent," he said. "You've got to have talent. Look, I love my daughters. They're great kids with great character, but I don't want them on the goal line on 4th-and-1. Character is great, but you've got to have the talent."

Wichard also said Ryan has been a big fan of Taylor's for quite some time.

"Rex, to be honest, bugged me last year about Jason as soon as he got the job in New York. This has been a guy he's always coveted. . . . I said something to Jason [about that conversation] and he laughed at me and hung up and that was the end of that."

Wichard explained that with the Jets being a "Final Four" team, the only way they could sign a free agent is if they lost one. That happened in the past few days when kicker Jay Feely signed with Arizona.

I wish the Dolphins would just come out and say if they want Jason Taylor or not. I just wish the Dolphins would stop the games and give one of the all-time greats the respect he deserves.

"Jason told me a year ago that [Miami] is where he wants to play," Wichard said." "We said no thank you to Bill Belichick and Rex and the Jets. He was very appreciative that the Dolphins welcomed him back. Right now, it's totally in their hands. . . . Jason wants to play football for two more years."

About the Author

Joe Rose became a sportscaster as a natural extension of his college and professional football career. He was a seventh round draft pick from the University of California at Berkeley and later a tight-end for the Miami Dolphins from 1980 through 1986. Aside from his radio and television work, Rose is probably best known for catching Dan Marino's first touchdown pass of his professional career. In addition, he had the distinction of having caught two touchdown passes in the Miami and San Diego match-up in 1982. Earlier in 1980, during his rookie year with the Dolphins, he was also voted MVP in the East/West All Star Game. Check him out at WQAM